Premiere: Fashion Flesh – Smudged Hills

John Talaga, AKA Fashion Flesh, is known for being a unique purveyor of sounds and sonic marvels. As someone who “makes his own equipment, oscillators, generators, sound toys, and modulators,” it’s safe to say that over the decade or so that he’s been releasing music – albeit rather infrequently – he’s certainly never cowed or given in to flavours of the moment. That’s especially true on his debut LP, Withdrawn, which sees release later this month through Berlin-based label Unknown Precept. As a fully-fledged album it’s an affair that draws on the stylings of electro, industrial, techno and more throughout the course of its adventurous 10 tracks, all through the distinct lens of Fashion Flesh’s truly warped vision. Premiering exclusively below is the pensively assembled finale, ‘Smudged Hills’.

Eerie tones accompany the track’s inaugural drum pattern; these reverb-laden chords gradually become more of a major key affair, as the song progresses in a slow yet significant manner. The physicality of its percussion never allows the listener to fully wallow in the rapturous glory of it all and, even when the intermittent rhythm does eventually retreat, we’re left with an ambiguous sense of forlorn hope that’s tinged with a genuine shred of sadness. This is a wholly evocative piece of hand-made electronic music that will surely entice fans of the weird and the wonky to dive deep into the rest of what Fashion Flesh has to offer.

Withdrawn is out October 10th on Unknown Precept – pre-order direct from the label.